Scarf face

Some onlookers may consider me to be a fashion victim. A title which I feel to be somewhat inaccurate. To be a fashion victim, I assume that you’d have to at least be at the scene of a fashion crime. I’ve been nowhere near anything fashionable, so therefore feel that the title cannot be accurately applied to me.

I’m more of a non-fashion victim.

It’s not that I don’t like, appreciate or admire fashion. Westwood, Galliano and Ford look fantastic on other people. But if I tried any of their clobber on, I look like a badly-decorated Christmas tree. In June.

Which brings me to my story. I was recently given a rather nice scarf. A pink one. Giddy with delight, I was. Thing is, the scarf in question is very similar to the scarves worn by folk in the Middle East.

Wearing it has caused some ripples. On both sides of the fashion fence.

At a recent meeting, one client passed comment; it appeared he was somewhat offended by it. Oh dear.

At another gathering, someone commented that it could be associated with something a terrorist would wear. Oh. So terrorists wear uniforms now do they?

Imagine a conversation at the Terrorist Corporate Branding Committee meeting:

“I’d like to propose a bigger backpack, please. Our bombs look too big in this one.”

“I second that motion. And while we’re at it, let’s do away with combats. They’re so pre-2000’s Madonna. Lycra is just so in this season.”

I checked with one of my Middle Eastern friends, to see what he thought.

“No worries. You’re safe, mate. Scarves like that one are generally blue. Yours is pink. Worst that can happen to you in my region is that you’ll be stoned by an angry mob.”

There was a similar kerfuffle in the States recently, too. I believe it was a Starbucks TV ad which featured a not so unattractive lady sipping a grande mocchio latte with vanilla (or similar). She too was wearing this ‘terrorist’ scarf. Complaints abounded, and the ad was pulled.

Silly? Or serious?

Anyhow. I’ve stopped wearing my scarf for now.

I just hope that Bin Laden isn’t one day eventually captured, and found to be wearing pink underwear. That would cause me a considerable problem.